Bomb threat on LSU campus prompts evacuations

A bomb threat on the Louisiana State University campus prompted student and faculty evacuations Monday, according to university officials.

East Baton Rouge Parish 911 received a call about the threat at 10:32 a.m. CT. No additional details about the threat or the caller's identity were known.

Students were contacted through an emergency text message and email at 11:25 a.m. CT and were ordered to evacuate all campus buildings. The university also canceled all classes and events for the day due to the bomb investigation.

About 30,000 students, professors and university employees make up the campus, but it was unknown exactly how many people were on campus during the evacuation.

An exact location of the threat was not immediately identified. The LSUPD was handling the investigation. A Louisiana State Police Hazmat unit was also deployed to the campus as requested by LSUPD, according to Louisiana State Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Len Marie. Hazmat assistance is said to be standard for threats of this nature.

Authorities spent the day searching building to building, but so far, no explosives have been found. Some buildings, including dormitories, have been cleared.

University of Texas and North Dakota State University were evacuated due to bomb threats on Friday. No explosives were found and the campuses were reopened later that day. Authorities in Louisiana were said to be in contact with their counterparts at those schools to check for similarities in the threats.